Policymakers and regulators must make utility services more affordable and end disconnections in severe weather
WASHINGTON – As 2026 brings yet another year of above-normal temperatures for large swaths of the United States, lawmakers must protect at-risk populations from extreme heat and help them maintain access to essential utility service. While most states have disconnection moratoria for the winter months for both electric and gas utilities, only 19 states and Washington, D.C., have rules in place to prevent disconnections during extreme heat. This is particularly dangerous in sunbelt states that regularly experience extreme heat and humidity, such as Florida.
A newly updated report from the National Consumer Law Center outlines specific actions policymakers and regulators must take to address unaffordability and ensure that at-risk populations do not lose access to essential utility service. Protecting Access to Essential Utility Service During Extreme Heat and Climate Change examines data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) showing that unaffordability of essential utility service impacts nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population.
“The need to ensure uninterrupted utility service has only grown in recent years, along with inflation and other affordability concerns,” said Karen Lusson, senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center and author of the report. “Policymakers and regulators must address the unaffordability of essential utility service, and the need for continued access, particularly for groups of people at increased risk of heat stroke and even death during intense heat.”
Extreme heat and other climate change impacts are affecting communities throughout the United States, including older adults, households with children, and people with chronic medical conditions. And data shows communities of color are at the highest risk for dangerous health impacts.
Low-income utility customers face increasingly difficult decisions during extreme weather, often forgoing food, medicine, and other life essentials to pay their energy bills. Financially struggling utility customers often restrict their energy use and are hesitant to turn on air conditioning during extreme heat, out of fear of unaffordable utility bills.
The report examines the impacts of extreme heat on utility consumers and recommends immediate actions policymakers and regulators must take to safeguard utility services for under-resourced consumers, including:
- A temperature-based and National Weather Service heat advisory threshold for disconnection moratoria;
- Calendar-based shutoff bans during the summer months;
- The ability for customers to be reconnected if they are already disconnected;
- Prohibited shutoffs for at-risk families.
It also argues for fair treatment for people who can’t pay their electricity bill; clear data requirements; and increased funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and weatherization programs.
“As extreme heat continues to intensify, policymakers and regulators need to take immediate action,” said Lusson. “Lawmakers must address unaffordable electric and gas utility rates and protect vulnerable households from the antiquated practice of disconnecting customers, which punishes people for being poor.”
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